The Blog

Preservationists often encounter fragile historical records. When they do, the key is to flatten them and archivally conserve the documents to prevent further damage.

But what if they are still in use and popular with the public? How much damage can they take? Unfortunately, this is a major concern for a specific group of records: the War of 1812 Pensions.

Currently, the genealogical and historical community – people like you and me – are taking on a massive effort to digitize fragile records and make those precious original records available online. And you can help…

Who is leading this effort?

Led by President Pat Oxley, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) is spearheading the fundraising for conserving and digitizing 180,000 War of 1812 Patriot Pensions. She says, “…this is the first time in history that the entire genealogy community is coming together to see a project of this magnitude to completion.” For people researching their ancestors from the “Second Revolution”, the idea that these records could be available online is of untold value. In collaboration with the National Archives, FGS has hired a professional archival team to photograph and index the over seven million pages contained in the War of 1812 Federal Pensions.

What might a War of 1812 Pension contain?

If you are looking for information about a solider or his family from the War of 1812, you may find such gems as:

The soldier’s name, age, and residence

Widow’s first and maiden names

Marriage date and place

Children’s names

Other family names

Service information and dates

Bounty land granted

Death dates of family members

How can I help?

Due to the fragile nature of the pensions, no volunteers are currently needed. To keep the project running, FGS is asking for your contributions. Each page costs about $0.45 to digitize. For each dollar you contribute, two pages can be preserved. However, right now, Ancestry.com has generously offered to match every contribution dollar-for-dollar. Now, each of your dollars contributed will digitize four precious pages.

Many have asked if this means that the pensions will only be available for a fee through Ancestry.com? The answer is no. The pensions are already becoming available for free, indefinitely. To see the progress of Preserve the Pensions project, go to http://go.fold3.com/1812pensions/. To contribute to this worthy project, go to www.fgs.org/1812.

As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, let us not allow the patriots of that crucial time in our history to be forgotten. Encourage your genealogical society to discuss and contribute to the Preserve the Pensions project and others like it.